Irish star, Madeline Perry with WSF President N Ramachandran

World Squash Federation President N Ramachandran today stressed that innovation will be a core element of Squash’s campaign for inclusion into the 2020 Olympic Games. He also outlined the significant growth the sport has achieved in recent years and some of the major enhancements that have been introduced since Squash’s most recent campaign for Olympic inclusion for 2016.

At the launch of its Olympic 2020 campaign in London, the WSF also revealed the campaign slogan - Squash: Sport at its Best

President Ramachandran said: “We know we have to show the International Olympic Committee that Squash is a fantastic product, and that we are not scared to innovate. Over the past few years, since our last campaign for Olympic inclusion, the sport has progressed significantly with the introduction of SquashTV, “Video Review” technology, new and exciting showcourts with revolutionary lighting and an international ambassador programme. It is vital over this next campaign that we communicate these innovations to the IOC to show just how far the sport has come, and what the exciting plans are for the future of our sport.

“Squash is a growing, global sport played by 20 million men and women on more than 50,000 courts in 185 countries. We have thriving men’s and women’s professional tours – more than 500 players from 74 nations compete on the men’s tour and over 350 on the women’s. Prize money is growing, as are the number of events across the world, and our global calendar would be a fantastic promotional platform for Olympic Squash. It really is an exciting time for our sport.”

Supporting the WSF 2020 Olympic Campaign, Malaysia’s world No1 Nicol David said just minutes after winning a record sixth World Open title in Rotterdam yesterday: “There is no question that the Olympic Games would be the absolute pinnacle of my career and I would happily trade all my 6 World titles for Olympic Gold.”

Women’s world No3 Madeline Perry today added her weight to the Squash 2020 Olympic Campaign by signing a letter pledging her support to Squash 2020. “Squash is a huge sport and to have the chance to represent my country on the world’s greatest sporting stage would be amazing, not just for me, but for all players around the world,” said the 34-year-old from Belfast.

VIEW A COPY OF THE PLAYER’S LETTER OF SUPPORT HERE.

With a monthly readership of 200,000 spread across 40 countries, Sport Business International is one of the leading publications within the sport business industry and comes as a major boost to Squash’s campaign for inclusion into the Olympic Programme in 2020.

The five-page feature examines the growth of Squash, both on and off the court, highlighting the growing commercial interest of the sport and innovative broadcast technologies now showcased in both the men’s and women’s tours.

Leading Squash representatives interviewed in this month’s Sport Business include  Andrew Shelley, Chief Executive of the World Squash Federation (WSF), Alex Gough, Chief Executive of the Professional Squash Association (PSA), and Ingrid Lofdahl-Bentzer, Chair and acting CEO of the Women’s International Squash Players’ Association (WISPA).

Speaking of this month’s feature in Sport Business, WSF CEO Andrew Shelley, said: “We are delighted that Sport Business has chosen to showcase Squash in their September issue.  These are exciting times and the Squash Family is constantly looking at new and innovative ways of showcasing the sport.

“As we embark on our quest for inclusion into the Olympic Sports Programme, we know that we have a sport that will bring a new dimension to the Olympic Games and are building on the lessons learned from previous campaigns to emphasise our attributes along with showcasing our fine young athletes.”

Extract of article: http://www.sportbusiness.com/print-edition/feature/see-you-in-court

Full article  below:

The first WSF Ambassador Programme – an international promotional initiative devised by the World Squash Federation – will visit the Latvian capital Riga from 25–27 November, when White and David will be joined by a top international coach and referee to highlight the appeal of Squash to the public and the media.

While the players will integrate with the local squash community and media, referees and coaches from Latvia and neighbouring countries will be invited to attend workshops that will enable them to take home a reach seam of information and techniques.

Born in Australia, White was a Scottish international from 1999 to 2006 and led his country to a best-ever fourth-place finish in the 2001 World Team Championship.  Widely-known as the hardest-hitter of the ball – a shot recorded at 172 miles per hour remains a world record – he enjoyed a highly successful career on the international circuit.  Runner-up in the British Open and World Open in 2002, he topped the world rankings in March 2004 and went on to win 13 PSA World Tour titles from 32 final appearances before retiring in 2009.  White, 38, is now based in the USA where he is Head Coach at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

The venue in Riga will be the Zelta Bowling and Squash Center, an imposing squash facility featuring eight courts and many other sporting and leisure options.

The coaching workshops will be undertaken by Ronny Vlasseks, a highly-experienced European Squash Federation Tutor who is also the Head Coach of the Dutch and Belgian national squash teams.  Meanwhile, looking after the refereeing side will be Scotsman Ian Allanach, a former WSF top referee and now a worldwide refereeing assessor.

It is planned that the visit to Latvia will be followed by two further WSF Ambassador Programme initiatives in 2012.

Welcoming the development, WSF President, N Ramachandran, said:  “Since becoming President of the World Squash Federation, I have visited Lausanne on many occasions.  However, given our campaign for Squash to become part of the Olympic Sports Programme, it now makes sense for the WSF to have a base alongside so many of our colleagues in the Olympic Movement.

“Representatives of WSF and the wider Squash family will be spending an increasing amount of time in Lausanne over the next two years as we step up our campaign for Olympic inclusion.  Thanks to provisions made by the City, Canton and IOC, we will now have an office that will make it much easier to reach out to the Olympic family.

“This is an important step for Squash and one which further demonstrates our commitment to becoming part of the Olympic Sports Programme from 2020.”

The address of the WSF Lausanne office is:

Maison du Sport International

Avenue de Rhodanie 54

1007 Lausanne

Switzerland

Following the IOC’s announcement that Squash is on the shortlist for Olympic inclusion in 2020, the World Squash Federation (WSF) today announced that it has appointed VERO Communications to be its Bid Management Company.

Commenting on VERO’s appointment, WSF President N Ramachandran said: “I am delighted that we have reached agreement with VERO for them to be our Bid Management Company and communications advisers and we look forward very much to working with VERO Chairman Mike Lee and his colleagues in trying to realise our long-held goal of Squash becoming a Summer Olympic medal sport from 2020.

“When we met Mike, we felt straight away that he understood our sport and our ambitions. VERO have a tremendous track record in assisting bidding cities and sports so Squash will benefit immensely from drawing upon their experience and knowledge.”

Mike Lee OBE, VERO Chairman, added: “We are thrilled with this appointment. Our aim is to help Squash put forward a compelling case to the IOC Programme Commission and wider Olympic Family on why the sport would be a fantastic addition to the Games.

“There is a long road ahead in the campaign but we are excited by the challenge. Working with President Ramachandran and the WSF team, we will do all we can to help ensure that the voice of Squash is heard all the way to the IOC Session in Buenos Aires in September 2013.”

The World Squash Federation (WSF) tonight welcomed the news that Squash has been included on the shortlist of sports to be considered for inclusion in the Olympic Sports Programme starting in 2020.

WSF President N Ramachandran, upon hearing the news, said today: “We are delighted to be given this new opportunity to be considered for inclusion in the Olympic Sports Programme. I am confident that we will be able to show the IOC Programme Commission, the Executive Board and wider IOC membership that our case has become even stronger over recent years.

“I truly believe that Squash would be a great Olympic sport. It fulfils all the criteria for inclusion in the Games, has proven universality and growth and we have an absolute commitment from all our top athletes that an Olympic medal would be the pinnacle of their careers. We also have high-profile world champions, exciting world championships for men and women, massive participation from juniors to masters on all continents and a healthy, thriving programme of youth development worldwide.

“Squash has benefitted from some incredibly exciting technical innovations in recent years, including dramatic glass flooring, courts that can be sited in iconic settings such as the Pyramids and New York’s Grand Central Station, vastly-improved television coverage in HD with multiple camera positions, and ‘super slow-mo’ replays. We are not a sport that stands still. All this and the fact that Squash is a wonderful example of one-on-one sporting gladiatorial competition, would make it a perfect addition to the Games.

“Our campaign starts with new energy and vigour as of today and I am delighted that we will have an opportunity to take our message to the whole Olympic and sporting family over the next two years.”

But you could be forgiven for being surprised to learn that Egypt is the nation favoured to win this title – as this is the JSW SDAT WSF World Cup, the first world squash championship of the year which will take place in Chennai from 8-12 March.

Led by two of the top three players in the world, Egypt is expected to overcome all opposition in this unique World Squash Federation mixed event featuring two-man-one-woman teams. Egypt’s stars are Ramy Ashour, the 23-year-old world No2 who is one of only two players to have won both the world senior and junior titles, and Cairo compatriot Karim Darwish, the world No3.

But second seeds England will no doubt want to make amends for their cricketing counterparts by successfully defending the title they won in the last staging of the event in 1999.  Women’s world No2 Jenny Duncalf could prove to be the deciding factor – playing alongside fellow Yorkshire star James Willstrop, the world No4, and Londoner Peter Barker, ranked just three places lower.

“World Cups generate such excitement – as football shows every four years and cricket is proving right now,” said WSF Chief Executive Andrew Shelley. “Our World Cup is for mixed teams, unlike others, but that just adds a further element of excitement.”

“And the squash version is shorter and sharper too. Bring it on!”

The 2011 JSW SDAT WSF World Cup will be staged initially at the Indian Squash Academy, before moving onto an all-glass show court erected at the Express Avenue Mall, the largest shopping complex in southern India.

Australia, the champions in 1996, are the third seeds, led by former world No1 Rachael Grinham. And Nicol David, the 27-year-old from Penang who this week became the second longest standing women’s world number one of all-time, leads the campaign for fifth seeds Malaysia.

The pool line-up (with seeding in brackets) is as follows:

Pool A: [1] EGYPT, [4] FRANCE, [5] MALAYSIA, [8] SOUTH AFRICA, [9] SRI LANKA

Pool B: [2] ENGLAND, [3] AUSTRALIA, [6] INDIA, [7] MEXICO

At the Opening Dinner of the Asian Junior Squash Championships in Colombo, the Sri Lanka star – who has taken 800 Test wickets and over 500 in One Day internationals – was presenting a Friend of Sri Lankan Squash award to Indian World Squash Federation President Mr N Ramachandran.

“I’ve played squash and was particularly impressed with just how hard it is physically – the top athletes must be super-fit,” said Muralitharan.  ”Perhaps I might give it a go when I finally retire from cricket in order to stay fit myself!”

“I’m told my wrist action might make me a very difficult player to read on court!”

“I’m very happy to be linked with the bid by such a fine sport to gain a place as a summer Olympics medal sport,” concluded the revered cricketer.

Thanking him, Mr Ramachandran responded: “Both our sports have World Cups beginning shortly, and while we look forward to looking out for your results and you keep an eye on the Sri Lankan team effort in ours, we are grateful that we can all look towards the biggest possible prize for any squash player, participation in the Olympic Games.“

Dear All,

The 2016 Olympic Bid – a Review and Critique post Berlin

Further to the short statement sent out immediately after the result was announced, President Ramachandran would like you all to have a much more detailed report and analysis of the campaign, Berlin and the future.  I was in Berlin all Wednesday and Thursday and we both attended the press conference.  First, our thanks to the many of you for the warm, supportive and encouraging messages received and much appreciated.

We were deeply, deeply disappointed to hear the decision announced, like so many of you all around the world.

So first, how come this decision?  I think I began to suspect it might go this way in Lausanne in June. Particularly telling was a conversation with an ex journalist massively experienced in the workings of the IOC who congratulated us on our presentation but said; “you do know that the decision is made, it will be rugby and golf”.  We had IOC President Rogge publicly stating his wish that rugby would be chosen by his EB colleagues. In Berlin another quote emerged from a powerful EB Member – “we hope to reach consensus on the sports before voting”.  I became personally aware of this operation being planned late Thursday night, not being totally bereft of political antennae!  One comment made was along the lines that 5 sports provided a veneer of respectability for a process in which 2 sports, pre-ordained to emerge, duly did so!

I would urge those who are particularly upset at what appears on the surface to be a rejection of squash when one looks at the EB voting trail to recognise that, if the situation I have described might indeed have been in place, such analysis is fundamentally flawed as it is impossible to obtain a true reflection of support for each sport (see comments from the softball and baseball fraternities). With such a small voting number the process changes from an arithmetical exercise into, shall we say, ‘an art form’!

Why the decision? I think it is all summed up in President Rogge’s reply to a question “these two sports bring extra value to the Games”. None of the other sports could match the potential for bringing in spectators, sponsorship and TV of these two huge and very commercial sports. What this therefore represents is a significant shift on the part of the IOC, adding the need for such commercial value to the long established Olympiad criteria and ideals, which we certainly fulfilled so well.  The IOC is far from immune to the effects of the recession and long term needs to ensure income to maintain what is an expensive operation. One can see the logic though saddened by the implications.

Are there any positives? Yes indeed, positives must be taken from this. The press conference was delayed an hour to allow President Rogge to write to President Ramachandran, and I quote: “On the occasion of your presentation to the Programme Commission and the Executive Board, we have been most impressed by the professionalism and thoroughness of your proposition. Upon review of your documents, we certainly noted progress on many fronts since 2005, and you should be commended for this positive evolution. We are convinced that your dedication will further contribute to the development of your sport.  Once more, on behalf of the IOC Executive Board and the Programme Commission, I would like to thank you and the entire squash family for the work engaged and the excellent collaboration we have enjoyed throughout the 2016 Programme review process”.

Also massively positive was the way the squash community at all levels came together to support this bid. From the miniest Junior to the wrinkliest Master involved in the Squash 2016 Day, through Clubs, Centres, Member National Federations and Regional Federations, the Players Organisations and so many individual professional players, our Accredited Companies, the squash media – your support in donating, publicising the cause and wishing it well showed the strength of our great squash community; we can and should be proud of that.

The Olympic Future? There may be one slot available in 2020, hence we must maintain contact with the IOC and keep a watching brief through our Olympic Committee so that, if such an opportunity should emerge, we are ready. All the experience gained from this campaign will be fully documented and available.  Those responsible will have to examine every aspect of our sport to see how squash might evolve to present a product with the ‘added value’ spoken of by President Rogge.

For WSF, we must now refocus and plan for life without the dream. We hope that many Members will come to the AGM in Kuala Lumpur in November. It won’t be the celebration party we had hoped for but nor should it be inward looking nor a wake. We must be positive and we want you to contribute to a ManCom led debate on the strategy for the way forward.

We do urge all to continue to send us any donations as WSF has a very large financial hole which if not filled will restrict us badly for some time to come. Please do help with contributions large or small; we need £100,000 as the target.

So 10 months of very hard work come to an end. It has been a privilege as WSF Bid Co-ordinator to oversee the incredible work and contributions by so many involved – the original task force, ManCom, ExCo and Olympic Committee Members, Lorraine and Jazz in the WSF office, Natalie, Peer et al in the USA, especially at Sportaccord, the superb presentation team in Lausanne, our PR/Media Company Juniper, our Media Consultant Howard Harding, our Olympic insider specialist Ms Ramona von Ondarza, and very much our inspiring Bid Manager, Scott Garrett. My most sincere thanks to all involved, and of course to those who prepared the way these many years before – our marvellous Patron, HRH Tunku Imran, past Presidents Susie Simcock and Jahangir Khan, as well as our ex CEO Ted Wallbutton.

Finally, whilst he is reluctant to let me add this, I feel it essential to state that when President Ramchandran took office in October he committed himself totally to this campaign. He personally established the platform, which allowed us to make the fully professional, highly credible presentation of which we should all be proud and so warmly applauded by President Rogge. Without this platform we would never have got anywhere and we all owe him a great debt of gratitude for it, plus our support now in his time as our President as he leads us in re-focussing and taking the sport we all love so much forward again.  Let’s bounce back – and higher!

Best wishes,

Dr George Mieras,
WSF Olympic Bid Co-ordinator